Buffalo Bills News - January 25, 2002

Moulds dreams of going from football to NBA [5:06 AM]D and C reports:
'"I'm going to look at my options and see what happens," Moulds said. "By no means am I just going to bolt the NFL and go to the NBA, but if it's something that I get the opportunity to do and it's a way to stay in shape and get ready for the football season (I'll do it)."'

January 24, 2002

Q: Some mockdrafts done for a sports website has you going to Buffalo. What are your thoughts on that?
A: David Carr: I mostly followed QBs when I was younger so I didn't really have a favorite team. I just liked watching good players. I wouldn't mind playing for Buffalo. They have a good team and good players. The weather wouldn't bother me. But I will play anywhere.

Up close with Ruben Brown [5:35 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
Ruben discusses his Probowl preparation; he is also bringing his son with him without his wife for she is due in February.

Johnson could lift off in Houston [9:02 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'Whether the Texans pick him or not, his career with the Bills - which has spanned four rocky seasons - is likely over.'

Jill of the Year - Marissa [6:41 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
The fans have spoken and you chose Marissa, Jill of the Week from the Bills pre-season matchup against the Rams, as the 2001 buffalobills.com Jill of the Year! Marissa dominated the polls with 38% of the total vote! The runner up received less than half that number with 17% of the online vote.

Johnson hints that he's gone [5:08 AM]D and C reports:
'The Bills won't confirm several published reports that their five players are Johnson, left tackle John Fina, cornerback Ken Irvin, strong safety Raion Hill and wide receiver Avion Black. The agents for Fina, Hill and Black have confirmed their clients are on the list, however.'

January 23, 2002

Cap figures for [reported] Bills players on expansion list [2:11 PM]ESPN reports:
Official list will not be released until Friday but here are the figures of the 5 players reported to be on Bills Expansion list:
S Raion Hill ($389,000)
WR Avion Black ($443,333)
CB Ken Irvin ($3,320,000)
OT John Fina ($4,423,380)
QB Rob Johnson ($11,225,250)

Jim Kelly Interview with the fans [1:11 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'[Q:] If and when you are selected for the "Hall," who wil be your presenter? - Mark Butler [A:] Marv, without a doubt. That is a slam-dunk. There are so many people who have influenced my life. There are about five or six guys who I could easily have introduced me like my High School football coach, Terry Henry, my oldest brother Pat, college coach Howard S., Ted Marchibroda and Frank Reich.'

James Lofton on making the cut [1:11 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'[Q:] What team will you declare as your team if you go in? [A:] I would like to go in as a cross between a Packer and a Bill. What would you call that?- A Pabiller?'

Jim Kelly talks to the media [1:10 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'[Q:] If you had to pick one game that would describe what kind of player you were and what you stood for which one would it be? [A:] "The Dolphins game when I dove across the end zone at the end of the game. That game I was never so tired in my life. There are many games that I look back on but the Dolphins games will always be a special on in my mind. That game pretty much set us to be we needed to go."'

Bills' run should aid Kelly [9:07 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'The greatest Bills quarterback ever is eligible for the hall for the first time and is widely considered one of the strong candidates among 15 finalists.'

Top Seeds have not met in Superbowl since 1993 [9:06 AM]CNN/SI reports:
As likely as a Pittsburgh-St. Louis matchup may seem, having the top seeds in each conference advance to the Super Bowl has been the exception rather than the norm in recent years. The best regular-season AFC and NFC clubs have not met in the Super Bowl since 1993 (Bills vs Cowboys).

Fina goes on the list for draft [9:06 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'Fina, 32, is a 10-year veteran who has started at left tackle for the last nine seasons. He has a salary cap figure of about $4.4 million for 2002.'

Revelations about RB Travis Henry and more [8:16 AM]Shout! reports:
RB Travis Henry is in more hot water other than the sexual activity with a minor. He missed the team flight to Miami and University of Tennessee did not fully disclose that Henry had a learning disability.

Henry will probably compete with Shawn Bryson for the starting job in 2002.

Giambra knows that lease with Bills is on his plate [8:04 AM]Buffalo Business Journal reports:
Besides his regionalism concept, Giambra knows sometime in the next 24 months he has to sit down with the Buffalo Bills and talk about their lease, which has an escape clause after the 2003 season.

"I'd prefer to sit down with them now and start negotiations," Giambra said.

Giambra has met informally with Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr., but their meetings have been more social than anything else. "The Bills are a very important piece to this community," Giambra said.

Hall prospects excite Kelly [5:05 AM]D and C reports:
'"I think he's a slam dunk," said Felser, who will lead the campaign to get Kelly inducted when the voters meet on Feb. 2 in New Orleans.'

January 22, 2002

Two names leaked regarding expansion draft [7:09 PM]Stadium Wall reports:
Two names have been leaked to the Buffalo Press of names to be put on expansion list - Raion Hill, starting safety last year, and Avion Black, part-time WR and full time special teams player. Nothing published on Empire web site so keep reading the Stadium Wall for reports.

Tom Donahoe: Predicts Patriots win over Steelers [10:26 AM]The Sporting News reports:
"I think the Patriots will win," says Tom Donahoe, the Bills' general manager. "The final score might be 3-2. This will be one of those knockdown-dragout, old-fashioned games in which every inch will be hard to come by. I am going to ride the hot horse all the way to the Super Bowl. There is something special going on with them, and the players have totally bought into it and totally believe in it, and I think it will carry them to New Orleans."

The Thurmanator - The best all-around runner in team history [10:12 AM]Bills Daily reports:
There may have been flashier running backs in the Buffalo Bills storied history. Surely there was one who had the best season ever for the team. But there was no runner who was better all-round than Thurman Thomas.

Patriots could be team of destiny [9:43 AM]NFL.com reports:
Vic Carucci makes the case that the Patriots, like the Bills when they rallied from a 32-point deficit in 1993 to win an overtime wild-card game against the Houston Oilers, might be a team of destiny who are going to win despite playing better teams.

Cap relief the size of Texas? [6:10 AM]D and C reports:
'Other players with suspect futures on the team and who would represent cap savings to the Bills if taken by Houston are cornerback Ken Irvin ($4.2 million) and defensive end Erik Flowers ($1.1 million).'

January 21, 2002

A Fireside Chat with President Donahoe [12:12 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
Donahoe admits that the team's decision to chop away salary cap excess made for a tough 2001 season. "We were up front with the people what we were doing and what we were trying to do." he said.

January 20, 2002

Hansen bids farewell [4:07 PM]Buffalo News reports:
'Your kind words over the course of my career left impressions that will not be forgotten. The heart of Western New York is its working class people and I, for one, am grateful to have been associated with this community and its citizens.'

Kelly hopes son is there if Hall calls [8:13 AM]Canton Repository reports:
'He retired maybe a season or two too soon. But he retired for the right reasons. "My focus, after Hunter was born, had to be somewhere else," Kelly said.'